Stocks that are making large moves like these are favorites among short-term traders because they can jump into these names and try to capture some of that massive volatility. Stocks that are making big-percentage moves either up or down are usually in play because their sector is becoming attractive or they have a major fundamental catalyst such as a recent earnings release. Sometimes stocks making big moves have been hit with an analyst upgrade or an analyst downgrade.

Regardless of the reason behind it, when a stock makes a large-percentage move, it is often just the start of a new major trend -- a trend that can lead to huge profits. If you time your trade correctly, combining technical indicators with fundamental trends, discipline and sound money management, you will be well on your way to investment success.

Trius Therapeutics (TSRX) is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of antibiotics for life threatening infections. This stock is trading up 5% to $5.97 in recent trading.

Traders should now look for long-biased in TSRX as long as it’s trending above its 50-day moving average with strong upside volume flows. I would consider any upside volume day that registers near or above 191,044 shares as bullish. If TSRX can maintain that trend, and especially continue to trend above $5.95, then this stock has a great chance of re-testing or possibly taking out its next major overhead resistance level at $6.49.

Pain Therapeutics

Pain Therapeutics (PTIE) is a biopharmaceutical company that develops novel drugs. It has four drug candidates in clinical programs, including Remoxy, Oxytrex, PTI-202 and a novel radio-labeled monoclonal antibody to treat metastatic melanoma. This stock is trading up 9.4% at $4.42 in recent trading.

From a technical perspective , PTIE is exploding higher here right off its 50-day moving average of $4.08 with above average volume. This move is quickly pushing PTIE within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade. That trade will hit once PTIE takes out some near-term overhead resistance levels at $4.45 to $5.03 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in PTIE once it sustains a move or close above $4.45 to $5.03 with volume that’s near or above 121,997 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then PTIE will have a great chance of re-testing or possibly taking out its next major overhead resistance level at $5.53. Keep in mind that any high-volume move above $6 should be consider very bullish for PTIE, since that would move the stock into a gap down zone from back in 2011.

AspenBio Pharma

AspenBio Pharma (APPY) is a biomedical diagnostic company that develops products for human diagnostic and animal health therapeutic needs. This stock is trading up 24.4% at $1.78 in recent trading.

From a technical perspective, APPY is skyrocketing higher here with above average volume. This move has started to push APPY above its 50-day moving average of $1.67, and it’s pushing the stock within range of a major breakout trade.

Traders should now look for long-biased trades in APPY as long as it’s trending above its 50-day at $1.67, and then once it sustains a move or close above $1.88 to $2.25 with high volume. Look for volume on that move that registers near or above 92,039 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then APPY will have a great chance to re-fill some of its previous gap down zone that started above $3 back in late June.

Cyclacel Pharmaceuticals

Cyclacel Pharmaceuticals (CYCC) is a development-stage biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery, development and commercialization of mechanism-targeted drugs to treat human cancers and other serious disorders. This stock is trading up 7.8% to $4.10 in recent trading.

From a technical perspective, CYCC is ripping higher here with above-average volume. This move has started to push CYCC above its 200-day moving average of $3.97, and it’s moving CYCC within range of triggering a major breakout trade. That trade will hit once CYCC takes out some near-term overhead resistance levels at $4.06 to $4.20 with high volume.

Traders should now look for long-biased traders in CYCC as long as it’s trending above its 50-day at $3.60, and then once it sustains a move or close above those breakout levels with volume that’s near or above 17,572 shares. If that breakout triggers soon, then CYCC will have an excellent chance of re-testing or possibly taking out its next major overhead resistance levels at $4.76 to $5. Any high-volume move above $5 would then setup CYCC to challenge more overhead resistance around $5.39 to $5.59

At the time of publication, author had no positions in stocks mentioned.

Roberto Pedone, based out of Windermere, Fla., is an independent trader who focuses on stocks, options, futures, commodities and currencies. He is also an outside contributor to Beconequity.com and maintains the website Maddmoney.net, which he sold to Blue Wave Advisors in 2008. Roberto studied International Business at The Milwaukee School of Engineering, and he spent a year overseas studying business in Lubeck, Germany.